Skirt measure and gage.



A. E. LOWERRE;

SKIRT MEASURE AND GAGE.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 21, 1910.

Patentd May 2, 1911.

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THE NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

' citizen of the United States, residing at New of skirts.

ANNA E. LOWERBE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SKIRT MEASURE AND GAGE.

Application filed November 21, 1910.

T 0 all whom it may concern: i Be it known that I, ANNA E. Lownnnn, a

York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt Measures and Gages, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to measuring and gaging devices for determining the lengths My invention has for its more general objects a high degree of convenience of manipulation and use, and inexpensiveness of manufacture.

A more particular object of my invention is to produce a device of this kind which may be effectively used by a single operator without assistance, and by which the length of the skirt from the waist downward may be roughly or in a general manner deter mined, for the original drafting out or cutting of the skirt, and by which the distance from the floor of the bottom of the skirt may be accurately determined.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the embodiments of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete device with the belt portion straightened out. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the upper telescopic part detached and as viewed from the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the lower telescopic part. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the gage arm, detached. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section on a horizontal plane, indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 1, as viewed from above. Fig. 6 is an elevation, on a reduced scale, indicating the use of the device, an incomplete skirt as it would appear when being fitted being shown in outline. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a slightly modified upper telescopic part.

My invention includes longitudinally telescopic upper and lower parts, of which the upper part is sufficiently flexible to bend over or conform to the body and hips of the wearer of the dress which is being fitted, while the lower part is a rigid standard for standing upright from the floor, the entire Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Serial No. 593,352.

device being held in upright operative position by a belt along which the upper end of the upper telescopic part may be slipped, a gage member, for gaging the desired uniform distance from the floor, being slidable or adjustable longitudinally of the lower telescopic part or standard.

In one of its embodiments my invention also includes an upper telescopic part having a more highly flexible upper section for readily conforming to the curve of the body and having a less flexible lower section for telescopic engagement with the lower telescopic par-t of the device. My invention also includes a base bar, and more particularly a cross-bar, projecting laterally at right angles from the lower end of the standard, for use in keeping the device laterally vertical; and my invention further includes the offsetting of such base to permit a closer adjustment to the floor of the gage member.

My invention also includes other advantageous features and several details of construction and combinations of parts, as will hereinafter appear.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the lower telescopic part or standard 11 is shown as a flattened tube or sleeve which may be readily formed from sheet metal, giving both lightness and rigidity. The lower telescopic part 11 is held in upright position in use by the upper telescopic part shown as composed of upper and lower sections, of which the lower section 12 may be a smooth fiat strip of resilient and somewhat flexible metal, such as thin spring steel, and of which the upper section 13 may be composed of a more highly flexible material, such as a suitable fabric or flexible leather. The lower section 12 of the upper telescopic part slides loosely or freely within the flattened tubular standard 11. The upper more flexible section 13 of the upper telescopic part is shown as of tubular form and as having its lower end slipped over or surrounding the upper end of the lower section 12, these two sections being firmly secured together by rivets, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The upper end of the upper section 13 is supported by a belt 14., and this upper section 13, by reason of its great flexibility, is well adapted to readily bend over or conform to the curved portions of the body below the Waist. The belt 14 may be of fabric, of leather, or of any other suitable material. The belt let should be quickly attachable and detachable from the person and should be adjustable and is accordingly shown as provided with a usual buckle and adjusting holes therefor. The belt 14 passes through a slide 15 carried by the upper end of the section 13, this slide being freely movable along the belt 1+l-. The slide 15 may be made of thin metal bent as shown to form a loop surrounding the belt 11 and having a depending portion projecting from its upper margin over which the upper end of the tubular upper section 13 is adapted to slip and be secured by rivets, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The location of the depending projecting portion of the slide 15 at the upper edge 01 the slide 15 and belt 11 presents no interference to the tree outward bending of the flexible section 13 in conforming to the curved contour of the body downward from the waist. The lower section 12 of the upper telescopic part is provided with a scale, as shown in Fig. 1, this scale being cooperative with the upper end of the sleeve 11, which. serves as an indicator for the scale, and the scale being numbered so as to read directly in units of length from the waist to the floor, as shown in Fig. 1.

For gaging the distance from the floor at which a skirt is to be turned up for the lower hem, a gage member is provided shown as an arm 16 of suitable and convenient length projecting at right angles laterally or from the edge of the lower portion of the lower telescopic part or standard 11. The gage arm 16 is rigid and may be formed of a strip of metal of suitable thickness, bent to embrace the standard 11, the end of the bent portion being shown as thickened to provide a stronger engagement for the screw threads of a thumb screw 17 the shank or stem of which passes loosely through the arm 16. The screw 17 permits the clamping of the gage arm 16 at any desired distance from the floor on the standard 11 and firmly, yet adjustably, holds such arm in position. A scale for the gage arm 16 is provided on the standard 11, as shown in Fig. 1, this scale being arranged to read in units of height from the lower end of the standard 11, that is to say, from the floor. The gage arm 16 is shown as having holes through which the skirt may be marked, or, if preferred, the skirt material may be turned in for the hem and pinned up at the height indicated by the gage arm 16, as shown in Fig. (3.

In order that the measuring and gaging shall be correct, the device should be substantially vertical in a. lateral direction, and to assure this proper upright position, a base is provided at the lower end of the standard 11, such base comprising a stiflf bar 18 projecting laterally in both directions at right angles to the standard 11. To get the base bar 18 out of the way of the hands of the operator and also to permit of a closer adjustment of the gage arm 16 to the floor, the base bar 18 is shown as offset rearwardly from the lower end of the standard 11, this result being accomplished by means of a. median prong 19, which projects from the lower edge of the base bar 18, first forwardly and then upwardly, and is received into the lower end of the flattened tubular standard 11, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, where it is secured by rivets, as indicated in Fig. 1, the material of the lower edge of the standard 11 being cut away at the rear for the passage of the bent attaching prong 19, as shown in Fig. 3.

In the slight modification of the upper flexible telescopic part illustrated in Fig. 7, such part is shown as composed of a single strip of thin resilient metal similar to that used for forming the lower section 12 of the first-described upper telescopic part. A beltengaging slide is shown as formed integrally with the telescopic portion at the upper end of the modified upper telescopic part shown in Fig. 7. The modified part shown in Fig. 7 may be substituted for the corresponding part in the first-described construction, being adapted to similarly engage and coact with the belt 1 1 and the standard 11. In some instances, such a substitution might be desirable. The flexibility of the thin spring metal strip permits it to conform to the curves of the body.

In use the device is firstapplied to ascertain the skirt length from the waist to the floor at all points entirely around, the device being slipped along relatively to the belt 14 and the measurements being taken at a sufficient number of places to obtain a satisfactory result. By the use of these measurements the skirt is drafted or roughed out as to length, necessary surplus cloth of course being left at the bottom for turning up into a hem of the desired width. partially completed skirt is then put on by the person to whom it is to be fitted and the device of the present invention again applied to accurately gage and fix the height of the lower edge of the skirt from the floor when completed. The device is moved around the person as before, this time the gage arm 16 being used to indicate at each successive point the height for marking or for pinning up the skirt material. The device being held in position from the belt, both the operators hands are free for her work with the skirt material, this being an important advantage. The free telescopic relation of the lower and upper parts allows the base 18to always rest firmly upon the floor, and the gaging measurement being taken upward from the floor must in all cases at all points around the skirt be absolutely accurate.

It is obvious that various modifications The may be made in the constructions shown and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid standard adapted to rest at its lower end on the floor, a. gage member slidably adjustable on the standard, an upper steadying and supporting part having longitudinal telescopic relation with the standard, and a belt engaging and holding the upper end of the upper telescopic part in such manner as to permit of the movement of the latter around the waist.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid standard adapted to be supported at its lower end on the floor, a gage member slidably adjustable along the standard, an upper flexible part comformable to the body and longitudinally freely telescopic with the standard, and a belt with which the upper end of the upper telescopic part has sliding engagement longitudinally of the belt.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid standard adapted to be supported at its lower end on the floor, a gage arm slidably adjustable on the standard and projecting at right angles laterally therefrom, an upper flexible part conformable to the curved contour of the body and having free telescopic connection with the standard, a belt with which the upper end of the upper telescopic part has sliding engagement longitudinally of the belt, and a base at the lower end of the standard, such base comprising a bar projecting laterally at right angles to the standard.

4. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid standard adapted to be supported at its lower end on the floor, a gage member slidably adjustable along the standard, an upper steadying and bracing part comprising a lower and an upper section, the lower section being sufficiently rigid to have free telescopic relation with the standard and the i upper section being more flexible than the lower section and being sufliciently flexible to readily conform to the curved contour of the body, and a belt supporting the upper end of the upper section in slidable relation slidably ad ustable along the standard, an

upper steadying and bracing part comprising a lower and an upper section, the lower section being sufficiently rigid to have free telescopic relation with the standard and the upper section being more flexible than the lower section and being sutficiently flexible to readily conform to the curved contour of the body, a belt, and a slide carried by the upper end of the upper section and slidable along the belt.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid standard adapted to be supported at its lower end on the floor, an upper flexible part conformable to the curves of the body and freely telescopic with the standard, and a belt with which the upper end of the upper telescopic part has sliding adj ustment longitudinally of the said belt.

7. A device of the kind described comprising a rigid sleeve forming a lower telescopic part adapted to be supported at its lower end on the floor, a gage member embracing the lower telescopic part and having sliding adjustment along such part, an upper flexible telescopic part freely slid-able within the lower telescopic sleeve, and a belt along which the upper end of the flexible telescopic upper part is mounted to slide.

8. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a rigid standard, a gage arm projecting laterally at right angles from and slidably adjustable along the standard, and a base for the standard projecting laterally in both directions at right angles therefrom, such base being rearwardly offset in relation to the standard to give clearance for the gage bar.

In testimony whereof I have afi ixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANNA E. LOWERRE.

Witnesses 7M. ASHLEY KELLY, HARRY LEWIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

